Video technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in the past few decades. Most recently the shift from renting movies from a brick and motor store like Blockbuster, to streaming them directly to your TV or mobile device wherever you are. Not only can you stream movies on your cellphones, you can shoot your own. Was it only 20 years ago that you needed a camcorder to shoot home videos? It’s amazing that almost all the technology we need today, fits in our pocket. But there is a downside to advancing technology; it changes so fast that things become obsolete before you know it. Those home movies of your babies you shot 20 years ago can’t be viewed on the same device you used to record their high school graduation. You have to own an “ancient” piece of equipment to watch those home movies, a VCR.

Not many households own VCR’s anymore. They have gone the way of the record player. There is a certain market for “vintage” VHS tapes for viewing authenticity. So what happened to all of the home movies? Did people throw them away? If not, why do so few people own a VCR now? The answer is simple. With the advancing technology companies created a way to preserve your memories captured on outdated devices, conversion. Many families have opted to convert their VHS home videos to DVDs. DVDs are far more durable than the older VHS. If one of your VHS had the tape pulled out or it deteriorated over time, your memories were lost forever. The DVD design is far superior to that of the VHS and it saves a lot of storage space.

You may be reluctant to convert your VHS home videos to DVDs because of the cost. Surely, it is cheaper to keep an outdated VCR that can be replaced for a few dollars at your local thrift store rather than paying to convert the videos. But VHS to DVD conversion has come a long way since its first appearance, and because of that the prices have dropped drastically. So to answer your question, yes it would be cheaper to buy a $5 VCR from your local thrift store, but your VHS tapes will not last forever. It just takes one bad VCR to ruin a VHS tape and even if that doesn’t happen, time is a cruel. Think of how many 8mm home videos exist today. There are very few, because they were either destroyed by time or converted to a newer form of media.

You and your family will be so grateful for the preserved cherished memories later in life. How can you compare the few dollars spent to convert your VHS tapes to your wedding video, or your daughter’s first steps. Those memories are priceless.